Carpet joining device and method



May 8, 1951 W. J. REINHARD CARPET JOINING DEVICE AND METHOD Filed May 7, 1949 Patented May 8, 1&951'

UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE CARPET JOINING DEVICE AND METHOD t Walter J. Reinhard, New York, N. Y. Application May 'A7, 1949, Serial No. 92,063

9 Claims.

' This invention relates Yto improvements in fabricating floor coverings of pile carpeting from strips such as three quarter or four quarter widths and has for a particular object the pro- Vision of apparently seamless pile carpeting comprising a plurality of adjacently disposed parallel Astrips capable of being laid in abutting relationship directly on the surface to be covered and subjected to severe stretching manipulations for the removal of irregularities to produce a smooth and uniform broadloom covering for the entire area without disturbing the original relative positions of the abutting edges. The present invention also contemplates forming broadloom floor coverings of pattern design from a plurality of pile fabric carpeting lengths having the pattern portions at the adjoining edges in perfect coincidental relationship before and after the usual stretching operation which obviates the` --been joined by applying a `joining tape adhesively vto the unsewn edges of the pile fabrics as shown in the Chance Patent No. 1,842,746. This method of joining carpet sections has necessarily been vdone in the work room because the adhesive must be fully dried and set before the carpet is applied to the floor area and stretched for the yelimination of irregularities to produce a smooth and uniform floor covering. Moreover, the method usually involves reversing and stay tacking the sections while the adhesive sets, adding considerably to labor expense. In addition 'with pattern goods the tendency of the pattern to run off produces a, mismatched pattern at the carpet seam.

The disadvantages usually inherent in wall to wall carpeting are advantageously overcome by the present invention which includes a novel joining device and an improved method of top seaming pile carpet sections directly to the areas to be covered thereby obviating the need of reversal and to enable immediate stretching without stay tacking the adjoining sections as required by the method of the aforementioned patent.

" In accordance with the present invention strips of pile fabric suitably pretreated to prevent raveling of the backing are joined together along matched edges by an adherent strip adhesively applied to the backing along the seam and having grippers to hold the edges in abutting relationship during the stretching operation and thereafter.

In the practice of the invention the backing of the pile fabric may be treated `with latex or other suitable binder by the carpet manufacturer to anchor the pile warps and tui'fs and the selvage removed at the mill to present a normal pile density with no line or area of demarcation along the edges to be joined. Besides conditioning the carpeting material for use in the present method it is also suitable for cementing to rubber underlay, for example.

In applying the herein described principles to forming an apparently seamless broadloom, a number of pile carpeting strips may be adjacently Ydisposed with the backing toward the surface t'o be covered. The abutting edges of the adjoining strips are then raised and the tapehaving a pluralityof spaced grippers disposed along beneath 'the seam and provided with a coating of adhesive -material An adhesive found especially suitable in the practice of the invention is latex type adhesive known as Rugsealz manufactured by the U. S. Rubber Company. The abutting edges of the carpeting are pressed downwardly, causing the grippers to pentrate the backing and the `carpeting subjected to immediate stretching oper.-

ations in the usual manner before the `adhesive has set to eliminate irregularities and produce a smooth and even appearance. It is found that -the abutting edges are not displaced under the torsional forces of the stretching operation although the adhesive has not dried.

Y, As a further improvement the invention contemplates the provision of means associated with the grippers to allow limited longitudinal movement of the fabric edges to permit a maximum conformity with the stretching force in one direction while precluding movement in the other direction which would tend to cause lateral-separation of the seam. Referring to the drawings, several arrangements are shown to illustrate the application of `the principles herein disclosed to seaming pile carpeting of the type described herein. These vvspecific embodiments are set forth purely for `illustrative purposes and are not restrictive as to the scope of the invention except as limited by 'theaccompanying claims. 'T1 is a diagrammatic vewillustrating the use of In the drawings Fig.

a joining tape for seaming together two sections of pile carpeting. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 illustrating suitable means for securing the adjoining edges to the tape to prevent lateral movement during the stretching operation. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows a type of gripping device found suitable for the practice of the invention. Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of adjoining carpet sections with the pattern mismatched. Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the same pattern carpet with the patterns aligned by the present method. Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of a modified form of tape provided with a different form of gripper.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and in particular to Fig. 1, two sections I and 2 of a pile fabric iioor covering are shown in the process of being joined together by the methodV of the present invention. These sections I and 2 are composed of a woven backing 3 with pile warps 4 and are provided on the backing surfaces with a coating 5 of a latex adhesive, preferably, Which may be applied by the manufacturer to prevent shedding of the pile and raveling of the backing upon removal of the selvage. Laid below the adjoining edges of the seam of the two sections is a tape 6 formed of canvas duck or other suitably woven fabric upon which is coated a layer 1 of suitable adhesive lmaterial which may also be a latex adhesive of the Rugsealz type. The fabric tape 6 is preferably underlaid with a strip of paper 8 to prevent the adhesive from running off the edges of the tape onto the oor surface. In the embodiment specifically illustrated in Fig. 1. a number of saddle type clips 9, having grippers I and II at the opposite ends, are secured below the fabric tape so that the grippers penetrate through the tape and are elevated a slight distance thereabove as shown clearly in Fig. 3. The saddle clips 9 are secured to .the underside ofr the tape 6 by pointed stays I2 which are stamped out of the metal `clips 9 to leave openings I3 in the metal clip for a purpose to be presently described. These clips 9 are applied to the back of the tape .6 sothat the -grippers I-IJ and VII pro.- trude through the tape whereupon the stays I2 are bent downwardly as shown in Figs. .2 and '.3 :to secure thesaddle clips to the back of the tape.

Thesaddle ,clips 9 are formed with openings :I3 on either side of the center portion whereby tacks may be temporarily driven into `the floor for the -stretching of adjoining sections to bring carpet designs intomatching relationship as fully illustrated byFigures 5 and 6.

In applying .the principles of my present invention to the laying of pile fabric carpets, .the carpets are rst disposed .over the surface vof the floor with the pile upwardly `the manner illus- .trated in Fig. 1 and the adjoining edges of the adjacent `sections raised slightly and the tape ,6 with the paper lbacking -8 and the saddle clips 9 associated therewith laid along the floor Asurface ,below the Aseam .of the carpetsections I and 2 as clearly apparent from .the drawings. lA coating .of adhesive I'I is then applied to the `surfaceof .the .tape t along ,its entire length and the .adjacent edges o f the carpet sections I y,and 2 firmly pressed onto the tape so that the grippers I0 and II penetrate a short distance into the backing 3 of the 4respective carpet sections. If desired theitape maybe .provided witha layer o f a pressure sensitive Aadhesive by the manufacturer. In thefusual practice ,of `cement seaming carpet Isections ,a

considerable time is usually required to allew the joining sections to be securely cemented to the joining member and the adhesive to be fully set before the carpet stretching operations can proceed. This setting period has precluded the direct on the job installation of sectional carpeting to the iioor surfaces to be covered and has substantially increased the cost of carpet laying operations. In accordance with the present invention, strip carpeting may be fitted and joined directly o n the job and the carpet stretchers immediately applied to the surfaces of the carpet which are disposed in their normal position and the operation carried out for the removal of the irregularities and wrinkles in the joined sections and to produce a smooth and attractive appearance simulating an unseamed broadloom carpet. During the stretching operation some degree of longitudinal movement may occur lengthwise of the seam but lateral mvement or separation of the abutting edges at the seam is precluded by virtue of my improved method. rlhe invention enables the formation of a permanent seam as the grippers lock the edges in abutting relationship during the life of the carpet.

Referring to Fig. 7, the modified form of tape I5 is shown for adhering together the carpet sections I and 2. This tape I5 is provided with a plurality of spaced grippers I6 consisting of sharp pointed elements adapted to engage and hold to, gether the carpet sections I and 2 during the stretching operation and before a layer of adhesive II applied to the surface of the tape has hardened or set. Preferably this tape, which may 'be formed of canvas material, is interwoven transversely with glass threads to render the same inextensible in a direction normal to either side of the seam but susceptible to limited stretching along the length of the same to enable the elimination of wrinkles in the carpet stretching operation.

I claim:

1. A floor covering comprising strips of fabric having a pile faceand a backing with a solidified `coating thereon insoluble under normal conditions of use and cut matching edges forming .an

unsewn joint between said strips, said coating preventing raveling of said strips along the out edges thereof, fabric adhesively `connected with direction transverse thereof and grippers dis.-

posed on the fabric and penetrating the b aclgings Yof the respective sections to lock lthe same together into a permanent seam.

3. As a new article of `manufacture `a fabric taping for uniting together sections of `carpeting along a common Seam portion Comprising a :nan-

row strip of fabric material, a plurality of relatively narrow metal strips disposed laligmg the length Vo f `the tape transversely thereof, means securing said strips to the back Aof .the tape, grip.- pers protruding from the other side of thetape for engaging the adioinine Sections :of Carpeting and a paper backing of somewhat greater width than the strip of fabric material.

4. The method of seaming pile carpetings comprising abutting the adjacent edges of the respective sections of pile carpeting, applying a tape faced with an adherent material to the backing along the seam of the abutting edges and having protruding grippers on opposite sides of the seam and pressing the edges of the respective sections onto the tape to cause said grippers to penetrate the backings of the respective sections on opposite sides of the seam so that the edges of the carpet sections are held in abutting relationship independently of the adherent material.

5. The method of seaming pile carpetings comprising abutting the adjacent edges of the respective sections of pile carpeting, applying a tape having a tacky coating of adhesive to the backing along the seam of the abutting edges, said tape having protruding pointed elements forming grippers on opposite sides of the seam, pressing the edges of the respective sections onto the tape to cause said pointed elements to penetrate the backings of the respective sections at either side of the seam and stretching the carpet before the adhesive has set to stretch and eliminate irregularities in the surface thereof.

6. The method of seaming pile carpetings comprising abutting the adjacent edges of the respective sections of the pile carpeting, applying a tape along the back of the seam coated With an adherent material and having pointed elements protruding therefrom on opposite sides of the seam-L, said tape being relatively extensible longitudinally of the seam but substantially inextensiblc transversely thereof, pressing the edges of the respective sections onto the tape to cause penetration of the pointed elements into the backings of the respective sections whereby the said sections are held in abutting relationship while the sections are stretched relative to each other for the elimination of irregularities therein and before the adherent material forms a permanent bond between the tape and the said sections.

7. The method of seaming pile carpetings comprising abutting the adjacent edges of the respective sections of pile carpeting, applying an adhesively coated flexible tape to the backing along the seam of the abutting edges, said tape being formed of fabric relatively extensible longitudinally of the seam to permit stretching of the carpet sections along the seam and being provided with transverse strips of substantially inextensible material in spaced relation extending across the seam and having protruding grippers on either side of the seam so that when the edges of the respective carpet sections are pressed onto the tape the grippers will penetrate the backings and hold the sections together before the adhesive forms a secure bond.

8. A floor covering comprising strips of fabric having a pile face and a backing, a flexible fabric tape adhesively connected with and overlapping the backs of said strips adjacent to the joint of the said strips, a series of relatively inextensible strips disposed in spaced relationship along the length of the tape and extending transversely of the seam, said strips having protruding pointed elements at either side of the seam penetrating the backings of the adjacent carpet sections and preventing the joint of the carpet sections from breaking when the joint is placed under stress.

9. A carpet joining device comprising a fabric tape for uniting together sections of carpeting along a common seam portion and metallic gripper elements protruding from the surface of the tape for engaging the adjoining sections of carpeting and holding the edges thereof in closely abutting relationship, said fabric material being relatively inextensible in a direction transverse of the carpet seam but relatively extensible longitudinally of the seam whereby the carpet sections may be stretched Without breaking the seam.

WALTER J. REINHARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 

